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Colts' Moala a force in 2nd season
07 Jan 11
Defensive tackle is playing well after nonproductive rookie year
Jan 7, 2011 Indianapolis Star
Fili Moala's first NFL postseason experience was memorable if for no other reason than there was nothing tangible to remember.
"I didn't contribute at all," the Indianapolis Colts' second-year defensive tackle said of 2009.
Moala, a second-round draft pick, was inactive for the divisional win over Baltimore. And the AFC Championship Game victory over the New York Jets. And Super Bowl XLIV, where the Colts fell to New Orleans.
"I was nothing but a body," he said. "Just a roster spot."
No longer.
When the Colts and Jets reconvene Saturday night at Lucas Oil Stadium, Moala figures to be smack dab in the middle of the action. In a regular season that saw injuries ravage the roster, he's one of only four defensive players who started all 16 games.
As a rookie, Moala's only start came in the regular-season finale at snow-swept Buffalo, where the Colts rested players they would need for their playoff push. His first-year stat line showed just 17 tackles.
Coaches expect a player to make the biggest jump from his first to second season. The transition period is over. Hesitancy gives way to confidence, which leads to productivity.
To coach Jim Caldwell, Moala is Exhibit A.
"Playing inside, often it takes you a little while to get accustomed to the speed at which things are done: how to read blocks, how to control your gap, how to use your assets in accordance to what you're seeing," Caldwell said. "He has really made strides, to the point where he is getting better every game."
This season, Moala had 26 tackles, 20 of them solos. In the December win at Oakland, he twice burst into the Raiders backfield and yanked down running back Darren McFadden for losses.
"He's becoming more disruptive," Caldwell said.
He has become relevant.
"I'm not a rookie anymore," Moala said. "Last year was a growing experience, a learning experience. I'm not ashamed to say I'm a work in progress."
Being inactive for last year's postseason, he added, "left a nasty feeling in my gut, a nasty taste in my mouth. I felt like a waste. But it was motivation to come back and be like, 'All right, I'm going to come back and get it right.'
